Process of applying inked indicia to a rubber balloon



Feb. 3, 1953 A. L. SMITH 2,627,486 PROCESS OF APPLYING INKED INDICIA TOA RUBBER BALLOON Filed Aug. 15, 1949 FIG 2 INVENTOR ARTHUR L. SMITHATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 3, 1953 PROCESS OF APPLYING INKED INDICIA TO ARUBBER BALLOON Arthur L. Smith, La J olla, Calif.

Application August 15, 1949, Serial No. 110,284

2 Claims. (01. 154-95) My present invention relates to the applicationof indicia to elastic balloons.

Heretofore indicia have been applied to such balloons by means of rubberstamps or stencils, which methods have involved definite limitations asto the use of multiple colors, because of the difiiculties of properregistration of the successive application steps. Also indicia thusapplied have not had any great degree of permanency because they areeasy to wear ofi and become blurred. It has also been proposed to applyindicia to such articles by direct contact transfer from a decalcomania,but by such transfer much of the character definitions of thetransferred indicia are lost in efiecting the transfer, and thetransferred indicia become distorted when the balloon is inflated anddistended.

It is an object of my presentinvention to provide a method of applyingindicia, such as reading matter or pictorial illustrations, to elasticballoons, which method has no limitations as to the number and properregistration of colors used, which permits expansion and contraction ofthe balloon without damage-to the indicia, and which may be carried outin a simple and economical manner. M

It is a further object to provide a method of this character by whichprinted matter may be removed from an ordinary printed sheet and appliedto an elastic balloon without loss of any character definition of theindicia.

A further object is to provide a method of this character by which it ispossible to apply indicia to elastic balloons in such manner that theydo not blur or wear off.

A still further object is to provide a method which enables applicationof indicia to an elastic balloon in a manner which causes the indicia tobecome integrated therewith.

In my copending application, Serial No. 109,068, filed August 6, 1949.,I have described a method'of removing inkedindicia from one surface andapplying them to an article, and my present invention is in the natureof an improvement upon the invention therein disclosed and claimed.

Without intending thereby to limit the scope of the invention as definedby the appended claims, I shall now describe an embodiment which I, atpresent, prefer, for which purpose I shall refer to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a sheet of printed indicia used in myprocess;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the sheet of Fig. 1 with my film appliedthereto;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of an infiated elastic balloon with thecoated sheet of Fig. 2 applied thereto;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the balloon of Fig. 4, illustrating a stepinvolved in removing the sheet which originally carried the printedindicia; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the balloon with the indicia appliedthereto.

Referring now to the drawings, I show in Fig. 1 a flexible sheet 5 ofwater permeable or water absorbent material, such as paper or fabric,having printed thereon indicia 6 which it is desired to apply to anelastic or inflatable balloon. The printing should be done in an inkwhich is compatible with the film to be hereinafter described, and Ihave found ordinary commercial grades of printing ink suitable for thepurpose, particularly where the film is of rubber or has a rubber base.I may even use clippings from ordinary magazine publications forpurposes of the printed sheet, although, since the printing becomesreversed in carrying out my process, it should be printed initially inreverse if it has to have any particular orientation such as readingmatter must have.

It is my preference that the indicia be screened indicia, that is, theyshould be printed by a screening process, because such indicia are madeup of numerous dots. and permit the balloon to which they finally becomeapplied by my process to be expanded by inflation without distorting theindicia characters.

The next step in my process is best illustrated in Fig. 2, and comprisescoating the printed sheet -5 with a liquid film B of a solution of amaterial compatible with the material of which the balloon is made,carrying a volatile mutual solvent for the material of the film and thematerial of the balloon. For a rubber balloon, the film should be rubberin solution with a volatile rubber solventthat is, a mutual solvent forboth the rubber film and the material of the rubber balloon. The filmshould be compatible with the material of which the surface of theballoon is composed, since it is an object of my invention to integratethe film with the balloon surface in carrying out the process.

In applying indicia to rubber balloons, I have found the commerciallyavailable crude rubber adhesives to be suitable for forming the film.Such adhesives usually contain a rubber solvent, but I add an additionalvolatile solvent to thin the solution sufficiently to flow the film ontothe sheet 5. Any of the Well known volatile rubber solvents may be used,such as benzine, benzene,

3 solvent grade gasoline or other rubber solvents listed at pages 96-97of Industrial Solvents, by Mellan. Optionally, I may add any of the wellknown classes of vulcanizing agents such, for instance, as sulfur orsulfur monochloride. Commercial grade rubber adhesives also containvarious other ingredients as tackifying agents, activators, etc., butthe presence of those well known elements is not essential to myprocess, nor have I been able to find that they impair the process.

In a simple example, I have carried out my process, in applying indiciato rubber balloons, by using a film prepared merely by dissolvingcoagulated plantation crude rubber in solution with a volatile rubbersolvent such as benzine, enough of the solvent being used to provide afreely flowable solution.

In another example, I use a commercial grade crude rubber adhesive,such, for instance, as Firestone 3K-2 and benzine, or equal solvent;enough of the solvent being used to initially provide a freely fiowablesolution.

It is my preference to flow this solution onto the printed surfacebecause the film thus deposited picks up every minute detail of theprinted indicia to an unexpectedly greater extent than does a relativelyviscous film.

I flow a film of this solution over the printed surface and allow thefilm to partially volatilize to a tacky state. By the time the thusdeposited film reaches the desired tacky state, the printed indiciaoriginally appearing upon the printed surface will have becometransferred to the film, somewhat permeating the film. While the film isin this tacky and partially volatilized state, I superimpose it, with.the printed sheet attached to it by virtue of the adhesiveness of thefilm, on the surface of the balloon [0, after inflating the balloon, asby connecting it with a source H of compressed air or gas. Thisinflation maintains the balloon in taut and stretched or expandedcondition so that a smooth surface is presented to the film. I press thefilm and sheet against the surface of the balloon as by rubbing over ita cloth or the like, by use of the fingers, or in any other suitablemanner, and allow it to remain in that position until the remainingvolatile elements of the film have substantially volatilized. Theabove-described application of the film 8 permits the film to fuse orintegrate with the rubber surface of the balloon, the fusion orintegration resulting by virtue of the action of the mutual solvent inthe tacky film.

Where the indicia are being applied to an inflated balloon of very thinsection, I find it desirable to volatilize the film to a greater extentthan when the balloon portion is thicker, so that there is no danger ofthe solvent causing a blowout.

Next, I remove the sheet 5 upon which the indicia were initially printedby subjecting it to a water bath, either cold or warm, until the waterof the bath permeates or is absorbed by the sheet 5 sufficiently tosoften the sheet. I find that it greatly speeds up and simplifies theoperation of removing the softened sheet by taking the still infiatedballoon between the thumb and forefinger of the operators hand andsqueezing the balloon adjacent the sheet. Thi tends to contract therubber surface of the balloon, and since the sheet 5 is notcontractible, the sheet become evenly loosened so that it may be readilypeeled off.

The balloon with the indicia thus finally applied thereto, as shown inFig. 6, is then deflated, ready for shipment. The balloon then carries atrue reproduction of the indicia in finely executed detail, without anyblurring or running. The film has become so integrated with the surfaceof the balloon that it is practically impossible to discern its originalboundaries, and the indicia permeate the surface. Since it i mypreference .to use screened indicia, the balloon may be ex panded to anyextent by inflation without distorting the indicia.

If balloons made of materials other than rubber are used, the filmshould contain a base material compatible therewiththat is, which may befused therewith, and should contain a volatile mutual solvent for boththe film and balloon.

I claim:

1. The process of applying inked indicia to a rubber balloon whichcomprises printing inked indicia on to a paper sheet, coating said sheetwith a film of crude rubber adhesive in solution with a volatile rubbersolvent, drying said coating on said sheet to a tacky state, pressingthe coated surface of said sheet against the surface of said balloonwhile said balloon is inflated to its normal inflated size and thenremoving said sheet.

2. The process of applying inked indicia to a rubber balloon whichcomprises applyin inked indicia to a paper sheet by screen printing,forming on the indicia-bearing surface of said sheet a viscous rubberfilm containing a rubber solvent, evaporating solvent from said filmuntil the latter reaches a tacky state, pressing said film and sheetagainst the surface of said balloon while the latter is inflated to itsnormal inflated size and then removing said sheet.

ARTHUR L. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,496,753 Burkley June 3, 19241,552,907 Binmore Sept. 8, 1925 1,610,155 Riley et a1 Dec. '7, 19261,649,770 Miller Nov. 15, 1927 1,989,717 Szegvari Feb. 5, 1935 2,092,928Moody et al. Sept. 14, 1937 2,316,149 Bates Apr. 13, 1943 2,521,992Nielsen Sept. 12, 1950

1. THE PROCESS OF APPLYING INKED INDICIA TO A RUBBER BALLON WHICHCOMPRISES PRINTING INKED INDICIA ON TO A PAPER SHEET, COATING SAID SHEETWITH A FILM OF CRUDE RUBBER ADHESIVE IN SOLUTION WITH A VOLATILE RUBBERSOLVENT, DRYING SAID COATING ON